Herein, we study the contact damage performance of two armour ceramics, alumina and silicon carbide, with varying microstructures and one particle-reinforced ceramic nanocomposite, alumina/silicon carbide, in an attempt to understand the microstructural mechanisms that affect plasticity and cracking under quasi-static and dynamic conditions. Quasi-static contact damage was imitated using Vickers indentation over a varying load regime. Numerical analysis of the indentation size effect, performed using the proportional specimen resistance model, allowed the contributions of plastic deformation and cracking to be separated into two individual values. In all three samples, higher levels of surface energy were found to correlate with increased amounts of cracking per unit area of indentation impression. Analytical modelling of crack initiation during Vickers indentation together with quantitative measurements of surface flaw populations revealed that such an increase in cracking damage was the result of higher densities of larger flaws. The hardness of the monolithic ceramics was found vary based on grain size and porosity levels, a smaller average grain size and lower porosity levels resulting in higher hardness values. In the nanocomposite materials, hardening was found to occur with further additions of silicon carbide nanoparticles. Such an effect has been attributed to the increased dislocation densities, as measured using Cr3+/Al2O3 fluorescence spectroscopy, and the impedance of dislocation movement within the lattice due to the presence of silicon carbide nanoparticles. In order to simulate dynamic contact damage, a low velocity, scaled-down drop-weight test was designed and developed. The dynamic contact damage resistance was determined based on the depth of penetration of a blunt indenter. In the monolithic ceramics, the indenter penetration was found to be shallower in materials of higher hardness. However, the nanocomposite materials displayed an opposing trend, the indenter penetration becoming deeper in the samples of higher hardness. The macro-scale fracture patterns produced during drop-weight impacts were seen to vary based on flaw populations and indenter penetration. In certain microstructures, extensive micro-cracking was also observed.

Fiber reinforced polymer composite laminates make up more than 50% of modern aircrafts. Such composite laminates are exposed to various environmental and in-service thermo-mechanical load conditions. Transverse/intralaminar cracking is usually the first form of damage appears in a composite laminate and they tend to increase in number during the service life. The growth in number of these cracks significantly degrades the thermo-elastic properties of the composite laminate and eventually leads to final failure. Thus, it is important to predict the crack density (number of cracks per unit length) growth in both non-interactive crack density region and interactive crack density region and its effect in thermo-elastic properties degradation. Non-interactive crack density region is the region where the cracks are far apart and stress perturbation between cracks do not overlap. Interactive crack density region is where the cracks are close to each other and stress perturbation between cracks overlaps and affects the formation of new cracks. In this study, transverse cracks in thick Glass Fiber Epoxy (GF/EP) cross-ply composite laminates under quasi-static tensile loading and tension-tension fatigue loading have been analyzed and predicted. In the first paper attached here, increase in number of transverse cracks in GF/EP cross-ply laminates under quasi-static tensile loading at room temperature (RT) are analyzed using 2 material systems. The failure stress distribution in 90° plies of the laminates is defined by Weibull distribution and the Weibull parameters are determined from crack density versus applied thermo-mechanical transverse stress in 90° layer (σTCLT) data points within the non-interactive crack density region. The crack density growth is then predicted versus the σTCLT and applied mechanical strain in the laminate from the determined Weibull parameters using Monte Carlo method and the stress distribution models between adjacent cracks. The predicted results using the novel stress distribution model introduced here were in good agreement with the non-interactive and interactive crack density regions of test results. The importance of using the Monte Carlo method and novel stress distribution model to predict the whole crack density region have been emphasized in the article, in addition to that it also redefined the interval of non-interactive crack density region.  The second paper expands the concept from the first paper, to address the tension-tension fatigue loading at RT. It deals with the crack density analysis and prediction in [0/90]s GF/EP laminate under fatigue loading at RT. The fatigue tests were performed at 3 maximum stress levels. Here the Weibull parameters were determined from the data points within the non-interactive crack density region in quasi-static and fatigue loading. From the determined Weibull parameters of each stress level and using Monte Carlo method and the novel stress distribution model, the crack density versus the number of fatigue cycles were predicted and in good agreement with the fatigue test results at the respective stress level. The intention here was to use Weibull parameters of one stress level to predict crack density at arbitrary stress levels. Based on it, the predicted results were not sufficiently good and suggested to revisit the Weibull parameter determination by performing fatigue tests at two stress levels.  In the attached paper 3, new methodology on crack density growth simulation and Weibull parameter determination in tension-tension fatigue loading has been developed. In the newly developed methodology, in detailed fatigue tests are performed at one maximum stress level to obtain all data points and at higher stress level to obtain one data point that is a crack density data point at certain number of cycles to determine Weibull parameters. Using the determined Weibull parameters from non-interactive crack density region, the whole crack density region was successfully predicted for other stress levels.

Wooden objects have been widely used in the history of humanity and play an important role in our cultural heritage. The preservation of such objects is of great importance and can be a challenging task. This thesis investigates the static and time-dependent mechanical behaviour of archaeological oak wood from the Vasa warship. Characterisation of mechanical properties is necessary for the formulation of a numerical model to design an improved support structure. The ship was impregnated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) for dimensional stabilisation. All elastic engineering constants of the Vasa oak have been identified and compared with those of recent oak by means of the static and dynamic testing. The experiments were done on samples with cubic geometry, which allowed obtaining all elastic constants from a single sample. The usage of cubic samples with orthotropic mechanical properties during compressive experiments was validated with finite-element simulations. The Young's moduli of the Vasa oak in all orthotropic directions were smaller than those for the recent oak. The shear moduli of Vasa oak was determined and verified with the resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. The time-dependent mechanical behaviour of the Vasa oak has been studied. Creep studies were performed in uniaxial compression on the cubic samples in all orthotropic directions. The samples loaded in the longitudinal direction were subjected to different stress levels. A stress level below 15% of the yield stress in the longitudinal direction did not result in non-linear creep with increasing creep rates within the time frame of the tests. The results of the studies in radial and tangential directions showed that creep was dominated by the effect of annual fluctuations in relative humidity and temperature. The weight changes based on annual fluctuations of relative humidity were measured for Vasa oak and recent oak. The Vasa oak showed higher variations due to an increased hygroscopicity which is the result of the impregnation with PEG. In conceiving a full-scale finite-element model of Vasa ship, not only the stress-strain relations of the material but also those of the structural joints are needed. Since the in-situ measurement of joints is not an option, a replica of a section of the ship hull was built and tested mechanically. The load-induced displacements were measured using 3D laser scanning which proved to have advantages to conventional point displacement measurements. The mechanical characteristics of the Vasa oak and joint information presented in this work can be used as input for a finite-element model of the Vasa ship for simulation of static and time-dependent behaviour on a larger scale. / Stötta Vasa

The research presented in this work addresses open questions regarding (i) the fundamental understanding of powder compaction, and (ii) the complex mechanical response of particle-binder composites under large deformations. This work thus benefits a broad range of industries, from the pharmaceutical industry and its recent efforts on continuous manufacturing of solid tablets, to the defense and energy industries and the recurrent need to predict the performance of energetic materials. Powder compacts and particle-binder composites are essentially confined particulate systems with significant heterogeneity at the meso (particle) scale. While particle mechanics strategies for modeling evolution of mesoscale microstructure during powder compaction depend on the employed contact formulation to accurately predict macroscopic quantities like punch and die wall pressures, modeling of highly nonlinear, strain-path dependent macroscopic response without a distinctive yield surface, typical of particle-binder composites, requires proper constitutive modeling of these complex deformation mechanisms. Moreover, continued loading of particle-binder composites over their operational life may introduce significant undesirable changes to their microstructure and mechanical properties. These challenges are addressed with a combined effort on theoretical, modeling and experimental fronts, namely, (a) novel contact formulations for elasto-plastic particles under high levels of confinement, (b) a multi-scale experimental procedure for assessing changes in microstructure and mechanical behavior of particle-binder composites due to cyclic loading and time-recovery, and (c) a finite strain nonlinear elastic, endochronic plastic constitutive formulation for particle-binder composites.

This diploma thesis is concerned with the numerical analysis of welded aluminim structures. In these structures, there are significant decreases in the mechanical properties at the area of the weld and in the heat affected zone as a result of welding. Within this thesis, simulations of quasi-statically loaded welded joints made from EN AW-6082 T6 alloy were performed to investigate the load capacity and ductility of these joints. Computations were performed using a programme system based on an explicit finite element method. To describe material anisotrophy, a nonlinear material model called the Weak texture model was chosen. Material properties of the weld and the heat affected zone were considered to be different from base material. The required material parameters were adopted from available literature, however, material tests and indetification procedure of these parameters were described. In comparison with the experimental data, the results of the numerical simulations showed a relatively good ability of models to capture load capacity of studied welded joints. Nevertheless, due to mesh sensitivity of models caused by localization of deformation, it was not possible to determine ductility of these joints.

Diploma thesis is focused on the description of the parameters of nonlinear material models of concrete, which are implemented in a computational system LS-DYNA, interacting with performance of nonlinear test calculations in system LS-DYNA on selected problems, which are formed mainly by simulations of tests of mechanical and physical properties of concrete in uniaxial compressive and tensile on cylinders with applying different boundary conditions and by simulation of bending slab, with subsequent comparison of some results of test calculations with results of the experiment. The thesis includes creation of appropriate geometric models of selected problems, meshing of these geometric models, description of parameters and application of nonlinear material models of concrete on selected problems, application of loads and boundary conditions on selected problems and performance of nonlinear calculations in a computational system LS-DYNA. Evaluation of results is made on the basis of stress-strain diagrams and load-displacement diagrams based on nonlinear calculations taking into account strain rate effects and on the basis of hysteresis curves based on nonlinear calculations in case of application of cyclic loading on selected problems. Verification of nonlinear material models of concrete is made on the basis of comparison of some results of test calculations with results obtained from the experiment.